FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 3, 2013    

CONTACT: Organic Consumers Association, Katherine Paul, 207.653.3090; or Zack Kaldveer, 510-938-2664

FINLAND, Minn. The Organic Consumers Association today called on the White Wave Food Company to immediately withdraw from the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), a trade group that has contributed over $7.2 million to defeat I-522, a GMO labeling initiative on the November 5 ballot in Washington State.

€œWhite Wave promotes itself as a €˜champion in the fight against GMOs,€™ while it indirectly bankrolls campaigns to deny consumers the right to know if their food has been genetically modified,€ said Ronnie Cummins, OCA€™s national director.
€œConsumers who pay a premium for organic and non-GMO products don€™t expect the manufacturers of those products to pump their profits into anti-consumer organizations like the GMA.€

White Wave sells Horizon Organic-brand milk and the Silk-brand soymilk, which it markets as GMO-free. The company also owns the International Delight and Land o€™ Lake brands in the U.S.

The OCA is asking consumers to boycott the brands owned by White Wave, until the company withdraws from the GMA and supports I-522.

The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is an online and grassroots non-profit 501(c)3 public interest organization advocating on behalf of more than one million consumers for health, justice, and sustainability. The Organic Consumers Fund is a 501(c)4 allied organization of the Organic Consumers Association, focused on grassroots lobbying and legislative action.